Impact of the French Wars on Britain Flashcards
King George
- Pitt the Younger directed destiny of the country during French/Napoleonic Wars because King George wasn’t fit to do so at this time
- he was passionate about protecting British interests though
- he was medically declared mad on a number of occasions
- pushed the war effort from the public
why did the Spithead and Nore Mutinies take place
in late 1970s discontent grew among sailors due to complaints on low pay - they had not received a pay rise since Charles II
- the way in which they were paid and the quality/quantity of food
- concerns raised to admiralty and Gov but fell on deaf ears - sailors organised themselves to mutiny
- surprising these mutinies hadn’t happened earlier
why was suppression of the naval and nore mutinies so important
- Britain’s navy are the primary defence for invasion so vital to get them back to a defensive position asap to protect from invasion/protect British trade routes
- backbone of British defence
- important to maintain discipline
- before demands escalated
- an example needn’t be set
- loss of life needed to be limited with recruitment already a challenge
explain the Irish revolt
May- Sept 1798
- french assistance/revolution inspired and escalated it
- allowed for potential of French invasion
- United Irish men raised an army and fought the British before been defeated at the battle of Vinegar Hill
why was the suppression of the Irish revolt so important
- to prevent French invasion
- Britain had virtually no defences in the West as they didn’t anticipate an attack from there
- Irish were sent 14,000 of French Grande army - quash before the Irish force became unmanageable
- Britain caught off guard and have poor qual army at this point
- perhaps if the weather had no thwarted the plans and France hadn’t retreated and withdrew their army then Britain would have been invaded
What did Wolf Tone say about the Irish revolt
It was Britain’s luckiest escape since the Spanish Armada
What was The British home front experience during the french wars
Problematic
Clear divide between wealthy north and the poor south
Divide got worse as Luddism broke out across the south
Families in south struggled to put food on table
However in north most women didn’t need to work because of wages of men and children
Not many men in North desperate to join army as promise of prize money didn’t draw them in
Henry adding tons reserve army had to break up regular riots
What did lack of war correspondence during this period mean
No connection to war effort on home fronts only focus on the negative effects it caused for them like rising food prices
Though people like Jane Austen tried to glamourise war in her novels to create morale
What is Luddism
Radical faction which destroyed textile machinery as a form of protest
As industrial revolution continued and people were replaced by machines people began to worry about their job security the industrial revolution was also against a backdrop of rising prices
Many people felt they had no other choice but to resort to Luddism
Damaged the war effort and problematic for those overseas who were relying on supply lines and British production
Explain the treaty of Amiens
Not dictated by British
Allowed French to keep their lands and expansion to continue
From a political and military viewpoint it was a disaster as Britain lost out in comparison with the French
Social viewpoint it was successful as it gave a chance for high food prices to come down a bit and rioting died down
Anti war to a small extent but it was a phoney peace and nothing ,ore than a ST truce
Why did Britain agree to the treaty of Amiens
French had defeated the first and second coalitions and Britain could not fight them single handedly
Britain’s trade was in deficit due to a run of bad harvest and food prices where spiralling out of control
Bread or blood riots
Trade limited as she’s been used for war effort rather than colonial trade
Short term abolition of the hated income tax
Much needed rest and resupply after 10 years fighting
Britain’s had to take stock of finance - war expensive
Why did Britain end the Treaty of Amiens
Early 1804 French broke terms of treaty as Nap went back to Egypt
He has returned to his conquest of re establishing power and trade
Trade worsened for Britain with his continental system of 1806 which put further strain on Britain to fund war
By 1803 French prep for war becoming increasingly apparent
Increased ships of line from 43 to 66 e.g.
What was Naps continental system
Due to Large European rule what he won during French wars he closed many European ports including Antwerp
Lisbon one of few ports available to British now - key reason to protect Portugal in Pen Wars
Claw back some of power British won after gaining naval hedgemony ensuing Trafalgar in 1805
What were the Greenville’s orders in council
1807
British response to the continental system that was better than their French counterparts
Didn’t solve continental system entirely but it was effective
Any ship not carrying the British flag was to be searched
Any ships found to be assisting the French were to be seized or sunk
Essential naval blockade of France
Angered neutral nations and led to eventual war with USA
Left French in weak place for Pen war think lines of TV
Showed Britain’s naval presence
How did Britain raise money to fund wars and coalition
Income tax
Increased food prices
Empire
A lot of borrowing - a war funded on credit
